Donnie Tyndall Season 2024-25
Donnie Tyndall enters his third year on the LSU staff as a valuable aid to the program on many levels bringing a strong knowledge of the game from both an assistant and head coach’s perspective.
Tyndall joined the program in 1997 following one year as the head basketball coach at St. Catharine College in St. Catharine, Ky.
Tyndall, 29, led St. Catharine during the 1996-97 season to its first ever trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. To get to the tournament, SCC had to defeat the defending national champions, Sullivan College of Louisville.
In doing so, Tyndall became the youngest coach in junior college basketball history to lead his team to the national tournament at the age of 26.
SCC set 13 team records in a season in which it started 11-0, earning the nation’s number six ranking in the polls for six straight weeks, while staying in the Top 10 for eight straight weeks. His Patriots
led the nation in scoring (106.1 points per game), while only giving up an average of 79.5 points per game, finishing with a record of 30-5.
Of the 10-man roster at St. Catharine, all 10 played basketball and continued their education at different universities throughout the country. Eight of the 10 received full scholarships, and all six sophomores received their degrees from SCC. Also, in his one year at the helm, Tyndall raised the team grade point average from 1.8, when he took over, to 2.6 when he left for LSU.
Tyndall was named the 1997 Kentucky Junior College Coach of the Year, as well as the NJCAA Region Seven Coach of the Year. Tyndall came to St. Catharine following two years as the top assistant at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Tyndall coached there under Dennis Pilcher, who is one of the winningest junior college coaches in the game today with over 500 victories.
There Tyndall was responsible for on-the-floor coaching, film exchange and breakdown, game preparation, while also being the recruiting coordinator. Also, while at Iowa Central, Tyndall implemented the “individual instruction” program which he felt helped players improve their individual skills.
Prior to going to Iowa Central, Tyndall played for the semi-pro touring team, Athletes in Action.
A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Tyndall played his high school basketball at Grand Rapids Northview. During his four-year starting career, he earned numerous honors and awards, including All-Conference, All-Area and All-State. He was a two-time team MVP and is the school’s single-season scoring leader.
He played his freshman season of college basketball at Iowa Central Community College, where he was selected All-Region and was chosen as the 1990 Athlete of the Year at the school. He was also elected to “Who’s Who in National Junior Colleges.”
Tyndall then played his final three years at Morehead State University in Morehead, Ky., where he was a three-year letterman. He recorded a career-high 12 assists against Oklahoma and was a part-time starter throughout his career. He earned a BS degree in Secondary Education with a minor in Business.
At LSU, Tyndall is involved in the daily on-floor coaching of the team as well as in charge of the team’s extensive video library and is involved in scouting of future opponents and film exchange.
Tyndall is married to the former Christi Freeman of Whitesburg, Ky., and they have recently welcomed their first child, Taylor Elise.
Year at LSU:
third
Birthdate: June 14, 1970
Age: 29
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Wife: Christi
Child: Taylor Elise
College: BS, Morehead State University, 1993
College Coaching Experience
1994-96 Assistant Coach, Iowa Central Community College
1996-97 Head Coach, St. Catharine College (Ky.)
1997- Assistant Coach, LSU